Time-element device.



I. G. STATTER. TIME-ELEMENT DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 14, 1913.

Patented June 23, 1.914.

\\ G L W J .w L i L m L WITNESSES Jlwo BY #y rmnnnlnmnnr envien.

Specification of Letters 19a/nent.

Patented June 23, imei.

Application 'Iler July 14, i913.. Serial No. 778,861

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that l, JOHN Gr. STATTER, a subject of the King of Great Britain., residing in Vvilmslow, England, have invented certain. new and useful improvements in Time-Element Devices, of which the following is a. specification.

My invention relates to start delaying or time element devices of the sucker type described in Letters Patent of the United States Number 830,53? granted to me September 1l, 1906.

My improved start dela-ying or time element device is applicable to the tripping 'mechanism of electric circuit breakers and the like, or in general to any device.

My invention resides in. a start delaying 0r time element device in which the sucker elements are separated or propped apart by small distances whereby a time adjustment is obtained, that isU whereby the duration ci time during which the start of a device is delayed may be adjusted or varied.

The greater the distance by which the sucker faces are separated or propped apart the shorter is the time taken to separate the sucker elements with a given. force. rilhese distances are extremely small and there considerable mechanical difficulty in providing suitable means for maintaining the sucker faces apart by the correct amount, And my invention comprises aise means for satisfacterily arranging the desired separa'- tien and controlling the amennt of separation.,

My invention resides i the features here inaiter described and claimed.

Fer illustra ion ef some of the many' forms .my invention may taire reference is to be had te the accompanying drawing, in'

which:

Figure i is a vertical sectional View, some parte in elevatiaa, through one ferm of my improved device. 'ig. 2 is a vertical sectienal view, seine parts in elevatien, through a modified forni ci my improved device.

l'lvfhile in the drawings I have snewn the sucker elements and C, Fig. L, and ifi and G Fig. 2, as conical. inv form, it is te be understood that my invention not limited thereto, but that the sucker ele. ents may taire any other suitable form, such Het, or may taire a dome 'torre or seine variant thereof.

it is te be understood that as te the siete ments hereinbefore made and' with reerence te the. hereinafter described devices that the lubricating, viscous or other material for wetting the sucker surfaces is as sinned to be of similar character in the vsirions cases mentioned, ,And it is to be fur ther understood that the amount of separa` tien between the sucker elements illustrated in the drawings is .not liniitive of my inven tionfbut merely illustrative.

By preference l" malte vthe sucker eieinents in the ferm of cones, one cone litting accurately ever the other; and in order te lreep the surfaces apart by a very smali and at the same time t0 have a centrol over that distance, i ind it desirable to cut oii the apex of the loweror iXed cone and corre spondingly flatten the inner apex ci the up-4 per or moving cene. .i tap a screw having a very fine thread axially through the sub stance of the lower cene and cause'its end te iuipinge on the flattened surface at the in* ner apen of the movable cone. By turning the screw l var the distance between the cene surfaces liiting the upper one slightly from its seating en the lower ene. it will he evident that the surfaces wiii be seperated hy a distance which is equal to the axial distance through moves multiplied by the sine ci haii2 the engle of the cene. ')y varying the angle at the apex of the cones li can vary the dietance by which the .surfaces are separate for a given lift of the screwn a The level et the lubricatiiiig material be suiiiciently high te immers ne l cene but it is enough if the level face ahcut half Wav un the hei lower cone. in the latter case ii eating; material be cii there is no ieelreege around the screw, nevertheless', tire cese tace' :re sutiiciently lubricated because tl'ie dis .nce by which they separated is net greatenough to prevent the liquid covering the whole area et the cene surface.. That part above the level et the cil being reilly lubricated by the action est surface tension or capillarity.

lin the fcregcing descrip' have been assumed. te be e.

ff .I. ci. es sur 1ht er me with the ai. er uppermost. i can Leviever disp se the cones 'the other' way up. @in te invention .the leu/er cene is ccijitaining; resse by a, rigidiv tired in centiii-.n-

which thel screw Ell@ ' lo'wer cone in such manner that the before mentioned screw impinges upon the dat truncated end. In this arrangement the distance by which the surfaces are separated is controlled by turning the lower sucker around on the fixed screw.

The lid of the containing vessel may be attached by suitable rods or pins to the Alower cone so that on giving an angular moztion to the lid this is communicated to the lower sucker. An indicating sca-le may of course be provided.

In all cases I4the arrangement is such that .the true start'delaying principle embodied in my said prior patent is not interfered with, suction is still relied upon to give the time lag, b'ut the relation between force and time is changed at will.

Since the action of two suckers whether cone shaped or flat as a start `delaying device depends upon the viscosity of the liquid used to lubricatc them it is necessary where extreme accuracy is required to provide the means ofvcompensating for changes in temperature. A lessened viscosity may be met by a smaller clearance between the sucker faces. If therefore we reduce the distance between these faces by the correct amount as the temperature rises we obtain the final control required. This is done automatically by inserting a rod ofsteel or other convenient metal up the center of the regulating screw. The axis of the regulating screw and that of the rod coincide. The screw itself is made of brass or 'of some metal having a much higher coetiicient of expansion than therod. The rod is free to slide within the sdrew but is rigidly attached to the screw at its lower extremity. Its upper extremity impinges upon and supports the upper cone. On an increase of temperature taking place the brass screw expands to a greater degree than the rod and in consequence the suckers are allowed to approach one another. Suitable lengths of screw and rod must be of course selected. At the same time t-he increase of temperature lowers the viscosity of the lubricating liquid and if suitable metals be selected for the screw and rod and a suitable liquid having `a small change in viscosity forl a given temperature be selected `for the lubricant a true compensation is obtained over a considerable range of temperature. In Calibrating the instrument for accurate work the effect of surface tension mustbe 'taken into account. This may be measured by floating a flat sucker on the surface of the lubricating liquid proposed to be used in the start delaying device. The weight required to separate the sucker from the surface of the liquid is a measure of the surface tension. lVhen calibrating this weight so ascertained is added to the weight of the upper sucker and its connecting rod. Calibration is then carried out with the suckers chemically clean. As soon as the necessary readings for Calibrating the instrument have been taken the weight representing the force of surface tension is removed. lVhen the lubricating liquid is added and an overload applied to the start delaying device slightly in excess of the calibration setting it will be found that after the lapse of a long period of time the start delaying device will yield to the overload.

Figs. l and 2 show the device in eleva tion artly in section. A is the containing vessel), B the lower cone and C the upper cone. Similar letters denote similar parts in the two figures. D is a rod fixed to the upper cone and is provided for articulating the upper sucker to the appliance which is to be prevented from moving until a period of time has elapsed, such appliance being a circuit breaker tripping member, or any other member whose start is to be delayed. E is the fine threaded screw and F the rod made of a metal having a lower eoetlicient of expansion than E. In Fig. 1 hand control .for determining the separation of the cone faces B and C is effected by turning the disk G which is locked on to E by means of the nut J. In Fig. 2 the same control is effected by rotating the cap II whichtlnough the pins K, K rotates the lower sucker B on the line threaded screw E and so changes the clearance between the faces of the cones B and C. The screw E is locked to the containing vessel by the nut J. In this figure pins L, M are shown to limit the movement to one turn upon the screw. Similar pins are usually provided in G and A Fig. 1 but they are not shown in thisligure. In F ig. 1 the escape of air is provided for by the ball valve N. y

I have indicated in the drawings by dot and dash line levels for the liquid or viscous or other material coperating with the sucker element surfaces. It is to be understood however that these levels may lie other than indicated, so long as the material is caused to spread over the sucker clement surfaces. t

It is to be understood that although the figures show no means for locking the disk Gr in Fig. l, nor any means of locking the cap I-l in Fig. 2, yet when the right distance between the sucker faces in either model has been found to suit a particu-lar case, then the disk or cap as the case may be can be locked by a screw or pin. In this case the hand control may be described as a factory adj ustment to obtain a given time for a given pull upon the rod D. `Alternately the user 'lil may be permitted to rotate G or-H and so vary the time with a given pull on the rod D.

What I claim is:

In a sucker time element device, the combination with the sucker elements, of means holding said sucker elements apart.

2. In a sucker time velement device, the combination With the sucker elements, of means for holding said sucker elements apart, and means for adjusting the separation of said elements.

3. In a sucker time element device, the combination With the sucker elements, of means for varying the distance of separation of said elements with changes of temperature.

4. In a sucker time element device, the combination with the sucker elements, of means having different rates of expansion withv temperature changes determining the separation of said elements.

5. In "a sucker time element device, the combination with coperating concave and convex sucker elements, of means for holding said sucker elements normally slightly separated. 1

6. In a sucker time element device, the combination With coperating conical sucker elements, of means for holding said sucker elements normally slightly separated.

7. In a sucker time element device, the combination with coperating conical sucker elements, of means for adjusting the normal distance between said elements.

8. In a sucker time element device, the combination with the sucker elements, of means for determining the normal relative positions of said elements in the direction of relative movement of said members When separated by an applied force.

9. In a sucker time element device, the combination 'with the sucker elements, of means for decreasing the normal separation ofL said elements with increase of temperature.

10. In a sucker time element device, 'the combination with the sucker elements, of members having diiierent temperature coellicients of expansion secured to each other at one end and engaging said sucker elements at their other'e'nds.

l1. In a sucker time element device, the combination With the 'sucker elements, of a tube engaging one o' said sucker elements', and a member Within said tubefengaging another sucker element, said member and tube determining the normal relative 'positions of said sucker elements.

l2. In a sucker `time element device, the

combination with the sucker elements, of a tube engaging one oi said sucker elements, anda member Within said tube engaging another sucker element, said tube and member determining the normal relative positions of said sucker elements, said tuben and said member having different temperature coefiicients of expansion.

13. A time element device comprising sucker elements having cooperating concave and convex surfaces.

14. A time element device comprising sucker elements having cooperating concave and convex 'conical surfaces.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto al fixed my signature in the presence of the tWo subscribing Witnesses.

JOHN G. UTATTIGR. Witnesses:

C11/xs. W. lVoon, EDWIN I). RoDWAY. 

